The Routine
by IBelieveInHeroes
Summary: Peter Parker often knocks on Gwen Stacy's window after a long battle. In fact, this happens so often they almost have a routine.


Tap, tap, tap.

Gwen Stacy took a few seconds to decipher the tapping on the window from her fingers tapping at her keyboard. When she eventually did, she turned around, still in her seat, and saw a very cold and tired Peter Parker kneeling outside her window. She leapt up from her seat and went to him. She smiled at him through the window and he smiled back. However, his smile was weak and weary. She yanked on the window at opened it for him.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked, gently helping him get in through the small gap.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," he replied through gritted teeth, clearly in a great deal of pain. Once he was safely inside, Gwen looked him up and down. There were multiple splits in his suit, revealing ripped flesh. There was also a very large open wound on his shoulder which brought a chill to her spine.

"Quick, get your top off," Gwen ordered, hurrying to the cupboard to get the first aid supplies that she keeps for a situation like this one. She pulled out a large green box and placed it on her bed. She closed the window and turned the heating up a little. She looked at Peter who was standing in the centre of her room. "Sit down on the bed," she said, opening the box. He did exactly as she asked as quickly as he could. She opened the box and pulled out antiseptic wipes.

She sat on the edge of the bed next to him and began to wipe up the blood on his chest. He gritted his teeth tightly together and tried to restrain his groans of pain. Gwen's heart was breaking to see him in such pain. It wasn't often that his wounds were that bad. She reached inside the box and pulled out the bandages.

"This will keep them safe for now but you must tell someone... okay?" Gwen asked. Peter nodded. She tightly wrapped the bandages around his torso, winding around and around. They began to soak up the blood that still remained. "These will be okay for around 12 hours at the most, you must replace them regularly," she explained. Peter nodded again. He was enjoying the soft security of the bandages and her hands holding him. It numbed the pain. She tied the end of the bandages and put the rest back inside the first aid box. She quickly put them back into the cupboard and shut the door. "I'll be right back," she said, leaving the room.

She returned with a glass of water clasped tightly in her hands. She sat down next to him and passed it to him. His hands were shaking as he brought the glass to his mouth. The water trembled inside the glass. He took a small sip and passed the glass back to her. She placed it on her bedside table.

"That's a nice photo," Peter said. It took Gwen a few seconds to realise what he was talking about.

"Oh, are you talking about my desktop?" Gwen asked, turning around to look at the laptop. It was a photo of the Stacy family all together, before her Dad died.

"How old were you?" Peter asked, looking at the blonde-haired girl at the bottom of the picture.

"I was twelve. I think I had turned twelve about a month ago when that photo was taken," she explained. Peter smiled and took Gwen's hand in his. Gwen turned to him, taken aback by this sudden show of affection. He brought his face closer to her's until he could feel her breath tickling his neck. He rested his forehead gently on hers as he put his arms around her waist. He closed his eyes and let himself be consumed in the moment. He let himself be lost in her scent. She smelt like sunshine and strawberries and daisies on a grassy bank. Gwen lay a hand on the back of his neck and then brought it up through his soft hair.

"Gwen!"

A voice broke them apart quickly and their eyes shot towards the door where Mrs Stacy was standing at the door. She was clearly a little shocked to see a bandaged and shirtless Peter Parker in her daughter's bedroom.

"Peter, hello!" she greeted.

"Good evening, Mrs Stacy," Peter replied, blushing.

"You're welcome to stay for dinner, Peter," she said.

"That would be lovely, thank you," he said. Mrs Stacy nodded and exited the room. The door closed and Peter grabbed a t-shirt from his backpack and put it on.

"We'd better get downstairs."

Peter sat, opposite Gwen, at the long dinner table. There was an almighty noise coming from the end of the table with Gwen's brothers and Gwen, her mother and Peter had to shout to get their voices over them.

"So, Peter, how are you?" Mrs Stacy asked after a long silence.

"Wonderful, thank you. How are you?" he replied.

"I'm fine, thank you. Gwen is always talking about you, you know," she said. Peter sniggered and looked over to Gwen who was bright red.

"I'm sure my aunt would say the same about me."


End file.
